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The release of the 2012 Caymus Cabernet marks the 40th vintage of the Napa Wineries flagship wine. In 1972 Charlie Wagner and his wife Lorna partnered with their then 18 year old son Chuck to form Caymus Vineyards on their Napa Valley ranch. With consistent 90+ scores from Wine Spectator the Caymus Cabernet epitomizes the decadence that has become synonymous with Napa Cabs. During my 2012 visit to Napa and Sonoma for my 40th birthday, I was so impressed with the quality of the wine at Caymus that it was the only place I purchased wine to have shipped home […]

It’s pretty rare that I try a wine under $15 that is a must buy, but the 2010 Graffigna Reserve Malbec is now high on my list to have again. Originally sent to me for Malbec Day #malbecday, this wine sat at an old address until just this past weekend. I’ve never been a huge fan of many lower price Argentine Malbec because of their jammy single dimension character but this wine, but this week’s #wowwine (hashtag on Twitter) is a winner. 2010 Graffigna Centerario Reserve Malbec Producer: Graffigna Wines Get Social: Twitter | Facebook Region: Argentina Appellation: San Juan […]

As I sit here just freshly back from the 2012 Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland Oregon, I’m reminiscing back to when I started this blog (November 2009 – nearly 500 posts ago). At that time I was passionate about reviewing wine, reading other blogs, and building a brand for a future business. At one point I had something new on the ole bloggy every day for 9 consecutive months. It paid off, I have you…the readers – over 12,000 of you every month. I have 3 businesses, Nectar Tasting Room, Spokane Wine Magazine and nectarMEDIA. BUT…I sure do miss the […]

It’s that time of year again for the highly anticipated ‘best of wine’ lists from around the web. At least, I anticipate them. I love reading what people enjoyed throughout the year. Regionally, we each have different wines available to us and over time we align ourselves with the palates and preferences of people we read and friends we interact with. In 2010 I had the privilege of tasting over 500 different wines and reviewing 168 on this blog. 2011 was a bit more challenging from the writing standpoint but I still managed to taste over 300 wines and review […]

It is rare that you taste through a lineup of wine where every wine showcases quality and stunning depth. This is my second run through of wines from the Wagner family, makers of Mer Soleil, Conundrum, Meiomi, Belle Glos and Caymus. For the second time, I am blown away. Previous scores for these wines ranged from 3+ to 4+. The 2008 Belle Glos Pinot Noir was my #2 wine of 2010 and my bench mark for Pinot. For this review, I’m embarrassed to share that I drank SIX bottles of Wagner wines…all by myself. Before you schedule an intervention, let […]